TB Chronicles – curious compatriots

As the days speed by towards half-way through my INH treatment, I have been feeling that it is time for an update. However, I have nothing to report for myself. I have no isoniazid side effects and my monthly refill visits to the Texas Health Department have been so easy as to be near delightful. […]

Local Flavor

Also known as Eeyore’s Birthday Party. Not that the name makes any more sense, but this year was the 50th annual celebration. Oh Austin. You can google the actual event and read the history. I tried to mostly stay away from just taking pictures of wacky people, so I focused on wacky animals and their people […]

SXSW 2013 – a first-timer’s film festival wrap-up.

Counting shorts, I managed to see 41 movies in 8 days. Of course, looking back at the screening list, there are so many more that I wish I had seen. However, in those days I could sit no more, nor absorb more visual input. It was great and very intense. Only a bit of movie […]

Spring Fever – let’s get me out of here

I would like to ask for a moment of your time to vote for my blog in a blogging exchange contest hosted my Hostelling International. In the event that I do not have a job by June (or can take an early vacation), I have the chance to win a trip and the opportunity to blog about […]

My first RPCV event

Look at me all awkwardly professional on my first outing for an “official” RPCV event (I’m the one in yellow). The awkwardness is only in the picture though. I had a fantastic “Take an RPCV to Work Day” today. On Tuesday I received an email from the Office of Third Goal and Returned Volunteer Services, or […]

Wild and crazy gals

And two definitely wilder canine boys. You know who is the perfect picnic companion when you aren’t drinking? Yes, real question, not the set-up to a bad one-liner. Pregnant ladies make the best friends when you can’t drink either. Abbie and I got real crazy in the park on a beautiful President’s Day afternoon with […]

What moving back looks like

3 weeks out and I can finally edit the packing pictures without the panicky feeling coming back. Everything fit and made it back. I would say with no problems, but packing day was stressful enough that it was a problem at the time. I made it down to Mexico for Peace Corps service with 2 […]

TB Chronicles – 7 days down…

263 to go…Or 1 week down, 35 to go. The days make it sound much worse. Week one on the medication has been rather uneventful. I’m still sitting in front of my computer a lot – writing cover letters now, and trying to finish up all the Mexico loose ends. The days go back very […]

TB chronicles – Chest X-Ray, 2 Views

I have my appointment with the health department to discuss and presumably start treatment for latent TB later this week. Meanwhile, I picked up the blood test report, and the nifty CD with my digital chest x-ray on it.  I also had a nice conversation with a Peace Corps Nurse, and former PCMO, in the […]

TB testing – round 2

At this point I have my FUTB shirt in-hand, and I have earned it. I spent a morning last week running around from the doctor to various labs to have blood taken for the QuantiFERON (Gold!) blood test and a chest x-ray. It was all pretty easy except the first lab I went to didn’t […]

Camp Mariposas – the weekend finale

It’s time to wrap up the camp posts. I have to keep checking the calendar to convince myself that it has only been one week (tomorrow) since the end of the camp. What a week it has been. I’m so confused by what day it is and what is going on. So, the final weekend of […]

Camp Mariposas – Day 5

I really need to finish posting about the camp, because it gets harder and harder to recall the details as the days go by. I guess that is because so much as been happening over the last week. Like finishing service and moving back to the US yesterday. Oh, but enough about that. Back to […]